How EE, O2, Vodafone and Three customers can save money

Whether they haggle their bills or change their contract or provider, hundreds could be saved by customers who are out-of-contract.

Which?’s latest survey revealed that out of thousands of mobile phone customers, a quarter of them are out of contract.

Being out of contract could mean these customers are paying more than needed for their deal.

Which? revealed how customers at four mobile phone providers can save money when out of contract (Image: Canva)

While some customers might even be paying for a phone that they have already paid off, Which? explains.

Which? survey reveals changing mobile phone provider could help customers save hundreds

The Which? survey also found that almost 40% of mobile phone users have stayed with the same mobile phone provider for over five years.

Despite this loyalty to providers, customers aren’t always rewarded, Which? warns.

The consumer body said it’s likely that cheaper deals are available with other mobile phone providers and if customers want to save money, they should “take action.”

How much could you save when switching mobile phone providers?

The Which? survey revealed that an average out-of-contract customer across all mobile providers pays £19.01 per month.

Whereas customers of the biggest four providers, pay £22.30 per month on average.

The consumer body has calculated how much customers from EE, O2, Vodafone and Three could save if they switched over to Which?’s “current expert pick of low, medium and high data deals”.

The website explains that these deals are “updated regularly and chosen against a range of criteria, including length of contract, value for money, how a provider scores in our regular satisfaction survey and any extras it offers.”

While these deals may seem like a good option for you, Which? encourages customers to shop around for the best deals that suit them, including Sim deals.

You can find out more about the research via the Which? website.

EE customers can get a 10% discount after three months of being out of contract (Image: PA)

How much could EE customers save?

Which? says EE customers who are out-of-contract pay more than the customers of the other four providers on average but they might be eligible for a discount of 10% after three months of being out of contract if their previous contract included a phone.

The survey found EE customers who are out of contract pay £23.80 per month on average.

Here’s the deals picked out by Which?, savings are all potential and per month:

• Low data: Smarty 4GB for £5 – savings of £18.80
• Medium data: iD Mobile 20GB for £7 – savings of £16.40
• High data: iD Mobile 200GB for £14 – savings of £9.80

Which? said that EE told them it aims to make sure its customers are on the best deal with reminders and updates about the latest offers.

EE also said that customers who are out of contract are eligible for a discount of 10% after three months of being out of contract has passed.

How much could Three customers save?

Three customers must continue to pay their full rate as the provider doesn’t offer any discount when they’re out of contract, according to Which?.

The Which? survey revealed out of contract customers at Three spend £21.50 per month on average.

Here’s the deals picked out by Which?, savings are all potential and per month:

• Low data: Smarty 4GB for £5 – savings of £16.50
• Medium data: iD Mobile 20GB for £7 – savings of £14.50
• High data: iD Mobile 200GB for £14 – savings of £7.50

Which? said Three decline the opportunity to comment.

How much could O2 customers save?

Contracts are split at O2 so customers pay for the device and airtime separately.

As a result, customers won’t be overcharged once they have paid their phone but Which? still advises them to shop around for a cheaper Sim-only deal “as O2’s can be expensive.”

Out-of-contract customers at O2 pay £21.30 per month on average, according to the Which? survey.

Here’s the deals picked out by Which?, savings are all potential and per month:

• Low data: Smarty 4GB for £5 – savings of £16.30
• Medium data: iD Mobile 20GB for £7 – savings of £14.30
• High data: iD Mobile 200GB for £14 – savings of £7.30

Virgin Media O2 customers’ bills are automatically reduced, when they have finished paying for their devices, by using its split-contract method.

It highlighted other perks for customers such as inclusive EU roaming and O2 Priority.

Which? has found ways for customers at four mobile phone providers to save money (Image: PA)

How much could Vodafone customers save?

Vodafone’s Evo customers also have split contracts.

However, legacy customers who joined the mobile phone provider before Evo launched in June 2021, are still on bundled contracts and could be paying more, Which? explains.

On average, Vodafone customers that are out of contract are paying £22.20 per month, the survey found.

• Low data: Smarty 4GB for £5 – savings of £17.20
• Medium data: iD Mobile 20GB for £7 – savings of £15.20
• High data: iD Mobile 200GB for £14 – savings of £8.20

Vodafone told Which? that it encourages customers to look over their plans at the end of their contract.

It also said its customers are notified of the best-value deals that are available to them.

Which? also warns that customers should be aware that they could end up paying for a device even though it’s already been paid off.

When a customer is out of contract, Which? says this is the “ideal time to switch” to another mobile phone provider.

Alternatively, it says customers can haggle the bill price with their provider to try and secure a better deal.

Customers don’t have to accept the price rise when they are out of contract – Which? says they can look for better deals elsewhere.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “Our findings show that some out-of-contract big four customers could save over £200 a year just by switching mobile providers. Anyone in that position should be thinking about making a switch or at least haggling for a much better deal from their current provider.

“However, millions will be trapped in costly contracts by exorbitant exit fees - and feeling the pain of eye-watering price increases of up to 17%.

“Which? believes it's absolutely critical that Ofcom's review of inflation-linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again.”

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